Past Simple/Continuous Formation 1 Larry( play)I computer games while his brother( chat) with a friend yesterday evening. 2 Bob (begin) to be interested in programming when he( be) 9. 3 Our grandparents (not be) as familiar with technology in their childhood as we are now. 4. A: Why (not come/you) to the party last Saturday? B: I( have) a soccer game. A: How( you/play ? B: We (win 5:3.

1. Larry played computer games while his brother was chatting with a friend yesterday evening.

Explanation: In this sentence, we use the past simple tense for "played" because we are describing a completed action in the past. "Larry" and "played" are the subject and verb of the sentence, respectively. The conjunction "while" indicates that two actions were happening at the same time. The second action is described using the past continuous tense "was chatting" because it emphasizes that the action was in progress at a specific point in the past.

2. Bob began to be interested in programming when he was 9.

Explanation: Here, we use the past simple tense for "began" because we are describing a single action that started and ended in the past. "Bob" and "began" are the subject and verb of the sentence, respectively. The phrase "to be interested in programming" is the object of the sentence. We use the past continuous tense "was" for "was 9" to indicate a continuous state of being at a specific point in the past.

3. Our grandparents were not as familiar with technology in their childhood as we are now.

Explanation: In this sentence, we use the past simple tense for "were" because we are describing a state or condition in the past. "Our grandparents" and "were" are the subject and verb of the sentence, respectively. The adverb "not" is used to make the sentence negative. The phrase "as familiar with technology" is the object of the sentence. We use the present simple tense "are" for "are now" because we are comparing the familiarity of our grandparents in the past to our current familiarity.

4. A: Why didn't you come to the party last Saturday?
B: I had a soccer game.
A: How did you play?
B: We won 5:3.

Explanation: In this conversation, we use the past simple tense for "had" and "won" because we are describing completed actions in the past.
In line A, the verb "didn't come" is the negative form of the past simple tense for "come."
In line B, the phrase "had a soccer game" describes a past event using the past simple tense "had."
In line A (second question), the auxiliary verb "did" is used to form a question in the past simple tense for "play."
In line B (second answer), the verb "won" is the past simple tense for "win" to describe the outcome of the soccer game. The result "5:3" is a numerical expression.